MUSIC EDUCATION IN COMPULSORY SCHOOLS IN ICELAND A LOOK INTO THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND A GLIMPSE OF A POSSIBLE FUTURE

Abstract

Abstract In this thesis, I will look into the challenges that music education in compulsory schools in Iceland is facing and try to find possible solutions. I will analyse music education by looking into the regulatory environment, curriculum guides, available relevant research and finally a survey will be conducted in a school district in Iceland for a better understanding of the current situation. Music in some form has been a subject in compulsory schools in Iceland for over 100 years and a mandatory subject for 50 years. The challenges it is facing, including teacher shortage, lack of specialised working facilities and teacher salary, have been ongoing for all those years. Music is not taught in 20% of compulsory schools in Iceland. Research reveals that there are enough qualified music educators but they seem to look to other jobs instead of music teaching. The question is how to resolve that; How can we get more people into teaching? My research questions are: What are the main challenges that music education in compulsory schools in Iceland are facing and how can they be solved? What has been done to analyze and find solutions to the challenges? Which steps have been taken into solving the challenges? In conclusion, this paper should give a new overview of music education in compulsory schools in Iceland and hopefully shed some light on what could and should be done to lead to a sustainable future.